UNSINKABLE SAINTS
Matthew 14:22-33
INTRO: There is a great lesson to be learned in this passage. Many have scoffed at this account, refusing to believe that God can walk on water. If man can fly through the air surely God can walk on the water! I have no problem believing the miracle (if you believe in God you have no problem with miracles).
The great Bible expositor G. Campbell Morgan once said, “Every parable that Jesus told was a miracle of instruction and every miracle that Jesus did was a parable for our instruction.”
There is a key word in verse 22 that is very important to our understanding of the story. It is the word “constrained.” The NIV and NASB word is MADE. Jesus forced His disciples into that boat. Now, the Jesus that could walk on the water surely knew that a storm was brewing. I would not hesitate to say that He ordered the storm. Then He ordered His disciples into the boat. Why would He do that? Because He wanted to teach them, and us, a lesson. Jesus teaches differently. He gives the test first and then the lesson. Notice three things in this passage of Scripture:
I. THE EXTREMITY OF MAN (vv. 24-25).
The first thing that grabs our attention about this account is the problem of the storm that these men faced. Notice some things about their predicament.
A. The Distance From the Shore - (v. 24) - It was “in the midst of the sea.” They were halfway from either shore it was just as far back from where they came as to where they were headed.
B. The Direction of the Wind - (v. 24) - It was “contrary.” The wind was against them. I believe that the wind and waves here represent circumstances that arise in our lives. Many times the circumstances are not favorable but are contrary to our accomplishing what we know to be the Will of God. It is important to note here that the most sensible thing to do in this situation would be to “tack” (Zig-zag in the wind). But they were being obedient to the command of the Lord Jesus who had told them to go to the other side.
C. The Darkness of the Night - (v. 25) - it was “the fourth watch” that is 3 o’clock in the morning. The darkest part of the night was upon them. They were in perplexity (confused) and right in the middle of a problem. Some of you find yourselves right where these disciples were.
ILLUS: I heard about a mason, a bricklayer who applied for workmen’s compensation because he had been injured on his job.
D. The Delusion of Despair - they did not recognize Jesus when He came. They thought He was a ghost. Many times we get so caught up in our problems that we do not realize that the Lord is coming toward us all the time. These men had allowed their despair to delude them to the point that they could have missed their deliverance!
II. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD (vv. 26-27).
Here we have the performance of the Savior in this story. The KJV says (v. 27) that Jesus said, “it is I.” But the Greek reads EGO EIMI that translates: “I AM.” This is extremely important. What was Jesus saying to them and to us by this word. It was three things:
A. A Declaration of Deity - in Exodus 3 when Moses met God at the burning bush he was told the name of God. God said “tell them I AM THAT I AM HAS SENT YOU.” Jesus was telling these men, “I AM the Lord and everything in this universe is subject to me!” There are those today who do not believe the miracles of the Bible, and hoping to provide explanation for their heresy, will piously exclaim, “God never works contrary to the Laws of Nature.”
Let me ask you something, what are the Laws of Nature? I submit to you that there is no such thing. There are only the Laws of a Sovereign God! The “Laws of Nature” is a term that unbelievers have made up to explain the workings of Almighty God.
That brings up the question, “Does God ever break His own Laws?” The answer is no! But He may impose a higher law. Some will say that that is a cop out. I don’t think so. Man does the same thing.
ILLUS: of gravity and aerodynamics (A plane defies the laws of gravity and flies because of this principle).
B. A Proclamation of Presence - not “I was or I will be” but I AM. Jesus is with us right now.
ILLUS: of black preacher who was preaching on the 23rd Psalm but stopped with “THE LORD IS” and said, “the Lord always has been is and the Lord always will be is.” That might not be good grammar but it is good theology. Is means right now.
C. An Announcement of Abundance - I AM is an unfinished sentence. What do you need? Not only is Jesus necessary, He is enough! The Christian life is Jesus Christ as Lord plus and minus nothing. Jesus says to the:
Architect --- I AM the Chief Corner stone
Baker --- I AM the bread of Life
Biologist --- I AM life
Builder --- I AM the sure foundation
Florist --- I AM the Rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley
Geologist --- I AM the Rock of Ages
Jurist --- I AM the Righteous Judge
Doctor --- I AM the Great Physician
Educator --- I AM the Great Teacher
Farmer --- I AM the Lord of the Harvest
Philosopher --- I AM the Wisdom of God
Preacher --- I AM the Word of God
Sinner --- I AM the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World
Saint --- I AM the Son of God, Savior of the World, and Lord of Glory
III. THE OPPORTUNITY OF FAITH (vv. 28-33).
In these verses is application for our lives or what we might call a program for the saints to follow:
A. Vision - in order to act in faith there must be the vision of Jesus (Hebrews 12:1,2).
B. Voice - Jesus spoke to Peter giving him permission to come to Him. That is faith, listening to the voice of God and then committing our will to it. Faith is acting on the Word of God.
C. Venture - when Peter made his request he was expressing a desire for fellowship with his Lord in an activity beyond that which is possible to human weakness. Some have suggested that this was presumption on Peter’s part but Jesus never encouraged presumption. Jesus had said to be of good courage.
Peter wanted to be courageous indeed by walking on these waters. The answer that Jesus gives to Peter proves that He wanted Peter to share in this victory over the things that had filled his heart with terror just minutes before.
Peter stepped out of the boat and did just what Jesus had bid him to do! He placed the frail, feeble foot of his humanity on the wave, and he did not sink; he was upheld; he did the impossible thing under the authority of his Master; his will was yielded to his Lord’s will, and between the frail man and the Lord Christ a union was established so that as he touched the waves Peter did not sink beneath them.
D. Victory - that was a great moment, Peter was doing the impossible! Whatever follows cannot undo that experience. Even though he sinks momentarily, the effect of having walked on the waves produces the cry for help. For he knows that his Lord can do all things.
But Peter does experience sudden defeat. His Baptist mentality takes over and he utters the seven last words of a dying church, “we never did it this way before.” The reason for the defeat is simple, “he saw the wind.” He took his eyes off Jesus and placed them on the circumstances around him. He began to walk in the flesh and not in the spirit.
In the power of the flesh our circumstances will overwhelm us and we will be “under the circumstances.” When he no longer saw Jesus “he was afraid.”Faith and fear are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, we will go through life experiencing one or the other but never both at the same time. Peter’s faith may have failed for a moment but his Lord did not fail. His “Lord save me” was as great a declaration of faith as his original request. He still believed that Jesus was superior to the waves.
Notice that Jesus did not give Peter a lecture and ask him for confession before He pulled him out. He immediately stretched forth His hand. He mildly rebukes him. The words “little faith” in the Greek are one word. The word for doubt means “to duplicate.” Jesus said, “Little faith why did you think twice?”
Let me ask a question, how did Peter get back to the boat? Either he walked or the Lord carried him. Either one would be fine with me.
E. Value - (v. 33) - “they worshipped God” - Jesus had done the impossible and then a man totally yielded to His will and obeying His Word had done the impossible and as a result men believed that Jesus was the Son of God and worshipped Him.
CONC: What is there about my life and yours that can not be explained except to say that God is working in our lives. There will not be anything until we get our eyes on Jesus and in response to His Word get out of the boat, and we can not get out of the boat unless we are in a storm.
The question is what will we do? Notice something about this account in Mark’s gospel Mark 6:48. He would have passed them by, Jesus wants you and me to call upon Him in faith. He desires that we share in His victory over sin, satan and the world, but we must exercise faith.
ILLUS: I heard about a mason who applied for Workmen’s Compensation because of an injury on the job. On the form he was asked how the injury occurred. This is what he wrote:
I was building a parapet wall on top of a roof and discovered that I was going to have several bricks left over.
I went to the ground and found a large barrel, a rope, a two by four to use as a yardarm, and a pulley. I went back to the roof, fixed the two by four out over the roof with the pulley at the end, and put the rope through it.
I then went down to the ground, securely fastened the rope to the barrel, pulled it up to the roof, and tied it off. I went back up to the roof and loaded the barrel with bricks.
I returned to the ground and began to very carefully lower the barrel. It was then that I discovered, to my horror, that the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was.
As the barrel started down, I started up. I met the barrel halfway, it struck me on the shoulder and I received a severe laceration. I held on to the rope and continued to the roof, where I jammed my fingers into the pulley.
At that time, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, the bottom of the barrel came out spilling the bricks. Now I was heaver than the barrel.
As I started down, it started up. Halfway up, it struck me on the knee and I received another bad cut. I continued on down to the ground, and what should I land on but that pile of bricks.
It was at that moment that I completely lost my presence of mind, let go of the rope and the empty barrel came down and hit me on the head.
